Do you look for positive energy when hiring?
It’s something we often look for in relationships everywhere in our lives. Spouses, friends and even the family members we spend the most time and energy with. There must be something in our makeup that attracts us to those with positive energy.
And it makes sense. Positive people make us feel good. About ourselves. About others. About life in general. About our past, the present and the future. Positive people don’t even usually need to say anything. They can walk into our area with a smile and we can sense that they’re positive.
Obviously it’s good to have folks like this in the workplace. They bring their energy to their work. They bring it out in others and can encourage and uplift them, which can lead to even more great effort and work. It’s a great thing.
It can be tricky to pick up on whether or not someone is positive when first meeting them. Most people try to be positive in job interviews. You usually have to look for little things like real smiles and also by listening to the way they talk about work and life. You can usually see how someone views the world around them.
Another issue is that positive people are usually in high demand. When you have a positive person on your team you’re usually doing everything you can to make sure they’re happy. Giving them increases in pay. Making sure they have the tools they need to do great work. And making sure they don’t get burned out.
So they usually aren’t walking through new doors unless the offer is a good one. And it’s not just the money, although that probably is the most important thing. You have to offer an atmosphere that is appreciative of their positive nature. They don’t want to be responsible for lifting everyone around them up. So that might require work whether it’s helping your current team to be positive or looking to replace those that are struggling.
If you’re looking to change your team, look for the positive people. And if others are struggling, work with them to see where they can work to be positive in small ways. Or to at least stop bringing negative energy. It does seem to be a changeable thing. Not an easy thing, but changeable.